Gustave courbet the stone breakers

1849 painting by Gustave Courbet

The Stone Breakers (French: Les Casseurs de pierres), also known as Stonebreakers, was an 1849 oil painting on canvas by the French painter Gustave Courbet. Now destroyed, the image remains an often-cited example of the artistic movement Realism.

The painting was exhibited at the 1850 Paris Salon where it was criticized by for its depiction of a subject that was not considered proper for high art.

Some critics disliked Courbet's application of very thick paint and the poor lighting in the image. Conversely, social theoristPierre-Joseph Proudhon praised the work and saw it as a successful socialist painting.

gustave courbet the stone breakers 1849 oil on canvas

He called the composition "a masterpiece in its genre". By 1915, it was considered to be an "important work".

Courbet produced two versions of the painting. The version displayed at the 1850 Paris Salon was in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. At the time of its acquisition by the m gustave courbet the stone breakers 1850 XYDAG